Winter Wheat

“Object Relations: A Workshop on Character Development” with Susan Streeter Carpenter
Friday, Nov. 14, 4:30-5:45pm (Session B1)

Storytellers have known for millennia what psychoanalysts say about the symbolic power of objects to stand for the relative menace or benevolence of the world. From the Security Blanket to the Wedding Ring, from the soccer ball named Wilson to Carel Fabritius’s painting of goldfinch, from Desdemona’s handkerchief to Harry Potter’s wand, objects have driven stories by revealing who the characters are in depth and breadth and in a flash of narrative. This session asks writers to use objects to develop their own fictional characters in a series of exercises involving real and imaginary objects. Presenter Susan Streeter Carpenter shares more info below:

Who should attend?
Fiction writers who want to give their characters more depth; writers who are trying out fiction and need to figure out what can be done with a character; writers with a partly-finished story and doubt about what to do next. People who are writing fiction for the first time and want to extend what they can DO.

What can attendees expect from your workshop?
Chances to write. Exercises in creating objects in scenes, using various points of view. Actual objects to write about.

Name one fun fact or bit of trivia about this session:
I’ve been re-reading Alison Bechdel’s graphic memoirs, Fun Home and Are You My Mother? HOW AMAZING to see her develop her story with objects, drawing them and making stories of them.

Quick! Summarize the benefits of this workshop in 10 words or fewer:
You’ve come to Winter Wheat to write, to talk with other writers, and to have a good time. That’s what my workshop is for.

Any last words?
I borrowed the title from psychoanalysts Melanie Klein and D.W. Winnicott whom I don’t know much about. But psychoanalysts have been borrowing from writers since Freud saw Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, so I’m being fair.

The countdown to Winter Wheat 2014 has officially begun! In these final weeks leading up to the event, we’re giving our presenters some space here on the blog to share additional details about their sessions, so be sure to check back for more previews. (Remember, this year’s Winter Wheat is bigger and better than ever — see this sessions list for proof.) For more information on the conference, which takes place Nov. 13-15 on the campus of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, visit the Winter Wheat site.

“Don’t Just Fill the Pail, Light the Fire: Continuing Your Writing Education” with Marissa Marangoni & Tobin F. Terry
Saturday, Nov. 15, 1-2:15pm (Session E5)

This workshop will discuss the many ways writers can continue educating themselves on writing after their formal education ends—or even without a formal education altogether. It is a challenge to obtain a writing education outside of an academic setting due to time constraints and life commitments, but continuing to learn and develop the craft of writing is essential to all writers’ success. This presentation will supply participants with an overview of resources and tools to continue (or start) their writing education.

Who should attend?
Commoners (and anyone interested in collecting some great writing resources to further their writing education and inspiration!).

What can attendees expect from your workshop?
Pure, 100%, unadulterated workshop.

Name one fun fact or bit of trivia about this session:
One of the presenters once ate 90 chicken wings in one sitting. And the other presenter would only be useful in the eating-gross-things part of Fear Factor.

Quick! Summarize the benefits of this workshop in 10 words or fewer:
Motivation! Resources! Exclamation points!

Any last words?

1. These aren’t the poisonous mushrooms.
2. Watch me lick this alligator.
3. Give me a fork so I can get this out of the toaster.
4. This bear is harmless.
5. My parachute and this backpack full of camping supplies look very similar.

The countdown to Winter Wheat 2014 has officially begun! In these final weeks leading up to the event, we’re giving our presenters some space here on the blog to share additional details about their sessions, so be sure to check back for more previews. (Remember, this year’s Winter Wheat is bigger and better than ever — see this sessions list for proof.) For more information on the conference, which takes place Nov. 13-15 on the campus of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, visit the Winter Wheat site.

“Lake Philadelphia’s Guide to Songwriting” with Olivia Buzzacco, A.J. Graber, Matt Warner, & Chris Johnston
Saturday, Nov. 15, 1:00-2:15pm (Session E3)

A presentation about songwriting and the craft of lyrics, with special guests from a local band who will talk about one of their own songs and perform it. Participants will discuss the musical side of creative writing, putting ideas together for songs. In an interactive experiment, the band will play a short melody and individuals will write down a couple of lyrics to go with the melody, and then share results. Olivia shares more info below:

Who should attend?
Anyone and everyone—especially those who are into the music scene, those who write their own lyrics, and those who like to be inspired musically when writing.

What can attendees expect from your workshop?
Music, for one—I have the local “budget rock” band Lake Philadelphia joining me, and they will be playing one of their own songs and explaining their writing process to attendees. They have an amazing sound, and their lyrics are well crafted. We’ll also spend some time letting attendees write some lyrics of their own, based on some music they hear.

Name one fun fact or bit of trivia about this session:
Lake Philadelphia has been featured on WBGU’s The Afternoon Rush several times, playing their songs live on the air. In addition, the band is going to be playing at LiveWire at Clazel on November 20^th, opening for the band Saintseneca.

Summarize the benefits of this workshop in 10 words or fewer:
Great music. Great tips. Cool kids. Come join us!

Any last words?
This is my first time (along with A.J., Matt, and Chris) attending Winter Wheat, so I look forward to leading this session with some of my best friends. This is a one-of-a-kind session at Winter Wheat, and I highly encourage everyone to stop by and hear the band and what we have to say!

The countdown to Winter Wheat 2014 has officially begun! In these final weeks leading up to the event, we’re giving our presenters some space here on the blog to share additional details about their sessions, so be sure to check back for more previews. (Remember, this year’s Winter Wheat is bigger and better than ever — see this sessions list for proof.) For more information on the conference, which takes place Nov. 13-15 on the campus of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, visit the Winter Wheat site.

“A Little or a Lot: Experiments in Dispensing Language”
with Robin McCarthy, Annie Bilancini, Amy Elisabeth Hanson
Saturday, Nov. 15, 2:30-3:-45pm (Session F7)

This workshop will compare the styles of traditionally minimalist and maximalist writers in order to identify where less is more and where it’s just less. We’ll consider the merits of each tradition with an eye to literary moments in which they work best together, and discuss how sentence-level language choices enhance prose on a macro level. We’ll then focus on exercises that encourage both sparse and expansive approaches to similar narrative tasks, with special attention to how blending the two approaches can create graceful and evocative style. The presenters off additional information below:

Who should attend?
Anyone whose hearts starts fluttering when they come across a particularly well-crafted sentence. We’ll be writing and talking about minimalist and maximalist writing and the merits of each style at the sentence level.

Name one fun fact or bit of trivia about this session:
We plan to run this as less of a presentation and more of a writing lab. We talk less. You write more. And then we all talk about our writing together!

Quick! Summarize the benefits of this workshop in 10 words or fewer:
We will all write outside of our comfort zones together.

Any last words?
We are very excited to talk to you about sentences. We don’t get the chance to talk about sentences nearly enough, and we think this is a real crime.

The countdown to Winter Wheat 2014 has officially begun! In these final weeks leading up to the event, we’re giving our presenters some space here on the blog to share additional details about their sessions, so be sure to check back for more previews. (Remember, this year’s Winter Wheat is bigger and better than ever — see this sessions list for proof.) For more information on the conference, which takes place Nov. 13-15 on the campus of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, visit the Winter Wheat site.

“Write Yourself Out of the Box” with Chelsea Cooper and Michelle Deschenes
Saturday, Nov. 15, 2:30-3:45pm (Session F4)

Ever been in a situation you didn’t have the faintest idea how to get yourself out of? This session will take on novel experiences with a poetic twist. Photographs of people in precarious positions will be provided as writing prompts. Participants will be asked to imagine/write the person in the photograph out of the precarious position. There will also be an optional spoken-word element in which volunteers will be talked into a pose that they, in turn, have to talk and/or move themselves out of. Presenters Chelsea Cooper and Michelle Deschenes share more below:

Who should attend?
Anyone who enjoys yoga, creative writing, spoken word, and spending time getting out of precarious positions with BGSU Creative Writing alumni

What can attendees expect from your workshop?
A limber mind and body

Name one fun fact or bit of trivia about this session:
Chelsea and Michelle met while working on their BFAs in Creative Writing. They also interned at MAR. They graduated in 2003 and took a trip to Italy that summer. Neither one can find a single photo of them together…

Quick! Summarize the benefits of this workshop in 10 words or fewer:
Inspiration…flexibility…beginnings…endings…creativity…stretching…

Any last words?
“To liberate the potential of your mind, body and soul, you must first expand your imagination. You see, things are always created twice: first in the workshop of the mind and then, and only then, in reality […] because anything you create in your outer world began as a simple blueprint in your inner world.” ~Robin Sharma, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

The countdown to Winter Wheat 2014 has officially begun! In these final weeks leading up to the event, we’re giving our presenters some space here on the blog to share additional details about their sessions, so be sure to check back for more previews. (Remember, this year’s Winter Wheat is bigger and better than ever — see this sessions list for proof.) For more information on the conference, which takes place Nov. 13-15 on the campus of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, visit the Winter Wheat site.